Don Alias

Don Alias
Birth name	Charles Alias
Born	(1939-12-25)December 25, 1939 New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	March 28, 2006(2006-03-28) (aged 66) New York, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, jazz fusion
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Drums, conga drums, percussion, bongos, djembe, udu, shaker, finger cymbals, tambourine, bells, cabasa, claves, palitos, African drums, batá drum, cowbell, marimba, cymbals, timbales, dumbek, timpani, quinto, shekere, snare drum, African percussion, kalimba, mark tree, jam block
Years active	1960s–2006
Website	Official website

Charles "Don" Alias^[1] (December 25, 1939 – March 28, 2006)^[2] was an American jazz percussionist.

Alias was best known for playing congas and other hand drums. He was, however, a capable drum kit performer: for example, Alias played drums on the song "Miles Runs the Voodoo Down" from trumpeter Miles Davis's album Bitches Brew (1969) when neither Lenny White nor Jack DeJohnette was able to play the marching band-inspired rhythm requested by Davis.^[3]

Alias performed on hundreds of recordings and was perhaps best known for his associations with Miles Davis and saxophonist David Sanborn, though he also performed or recorded with Weather Report, singer Joni Mitchell, pianist Herbie Hancock, the Brecker Brothers, Jaco Pastorius, Pat Metheny, Nina Simone and many others. Alias was born in New York City and arrived in Boston in the early 1960s intending to study medicine, but after playing congas in a number of local bands, made an abrupt career switch.

Discography

As sideman

With Philip Bailey

• Soul on Jazz (Heads Up International, 2002)

With Cheryl Bentyne

• Talk of The Town (Paddle Wheel, 2002)
• The Lights Still Burn (Paddle Wheel, 2003)
• Moonlight Serenade (King, 2003)
• The Book of Love (Telarc, 2006)

With Carla Bley

• Sextet (Watt, 1987)
• Fleur Carnivore (Watt, 1988)
• The Very Big Carla Bley Band (Watt, 1990)
• Looking for America (Watt, 2002)

With Blood, Sweat & Tears

• More Than Ever (Columbia, 1976)

With Jonathan Butler

• Heal Our Hand (Jive, 1990)
• Head to Head (Mercury, 1993)

With Uri Caine

• Toys (JMT, 1996)

With David Clayton-Thomas

• Bloodlines (DCT, 1999)

With Marc Cohn

• Marc Cohn (Atlantic, 1991)

With Miles Davis

• Bitches Brew (Columbia, 1970)
• On the Corner (Columbia, 1972)
• Amandla (Warner Bros., 1989)
• Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4 (Columbia Legacy, 2015)

With Jack DeJohnette

• Oneness (ECM, 1997)

With Klaus Doldinger

• Doldinger in New York – Street of Dreams (WEA, 1994)

With Eliane Elias

• So Far So Close (Blue Note, 1989)

With Joe Farrell

• Penny Arcade (CTI, 1973)

With Roberta Flack

• Oasis (Atlantic, 1988)
• The Christmas Album (Capitol, 1997)

With Dan Fogelberg

• The Innocent Age (Full Moon, 1981)

With Michael Franks

• Abandoned Garden (Warner Bros., 1995)

With Bill Frisell

• Unspeakable (Elektra Nonesuch, 2004)

With Hal Galper

• The Guerilla Band (Mainstream, 1971)

With Kenny Garrett

• Black Hope (Warner Bros, 1992)

With Don Grolnick Group

• Medianoche (Warner Bros., 1995)
• The Complete London Concert (Fuzzy Music, 2000)

With Herbie Hancock

• The New Standard (Verve, 1996)

With Ian Hunter

• All American Alien Boy (Columbia, 1976)

With Elvin Jones

• Merry-Go-Round (Blue Note, 1971)

With Dave Liebman

• Sweet Hands (Horizon, 1975)

With Joe Lovano

• Tenor Legacy (Blue Note, 1993)

With Pat Metheny Group

• Imaginary Day (Warner, 1997)

With Bob Mintzer

• One Music (DMP, 1991)

With Joni Mitchell

• Don Juan's Reckless Daughter (Asylum, 1977)
• Mingus (Asylum, 1979)
• Shadows and Light (Asylum, 1980)

With Jane Monheit

• In the Sun (N-Coded, 2002)

With Pages

• Future Street (Epic, 1979)

With Jaco Pastorius

• Jaco Pastorius (Epic, 1976)
• Word of Mouth (Warner Bros., 1981)

With Weather Report

• Weather Report (Columbia, 1971) – uncredited
• Black Market (Columbia, 1976)

With Lou Reed

• Ecstasy (Sire, 2000)

With Sanne Salomonsen

• In a New York Minute (Virgin, 1998)

With Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin

• Love Devotion Surrender (Columbia, 1973)

With Lalo Schifrin

• Black Widow (CTI, 1976)

With Marlena Shaw

• Love is in Flight (Verve, 1988)

With Nina Simone

• To Love Somebody (RCA, 1969)

With Jeremy Steig

• Legwork (Solid State, 1970)
• Wayfaring Stranger (Blue Note, 1971)
• Energy (Capitol, 1971)
• Fusion (Groove Merchant, 1972)

With Ira Sullivan

• Ira Sullivan (Horizon, 1976)

With Steve Swallow

• Carla (Xtra Watt, 1987)
• Swallow (Xtra Watt, 1991)

With James Taylor

• New Moon Shine (Columbia, 1991)

With The Tony Williams Lifetime

• Ego (Polydor, 1971)

References

External links

• Official Website Don Alias
• Don Alias's Interview
• Article in Drummerworld